The Transformation of Diocletian's Palace in the City of Split as a Chronological Question

The dating of the transformation of Diocletian’s Palace in the city of Split has been differently treated by different authors, writing on the subject. In this paper, based on historical sources and analyses of the earliest examples of medieval sculpture and architecture, a dating of that event to around the middle of the seventh century is proposed. In this context the year 641 appears particularly significant when after the barbaric invasion of Dalmatia Pope John IV sent Abbot Martin to collect martyrs’ relics. Most probably, the same year citizens of destroyed Salona asked the emperor in Constantinople permission to settle in Diocletian’s palace. The analyzed monuments (a cross above the western gate, the southern gate of the Cathedral, the sarcophagus of Archbishop John and decoration on the liturgical installations, as well as a funerary oratory outside the Palace’s wall) indicate the same dating.